The present invention is directed to a photographic processor and method of operation.
Photographic processors come in a variety of shapes and sizes from large wholesale photographic processors to small micro-labs. As photographic processors become more and more technologically sophisticated, there is a continued need to make the photographic processor as user-friendly and as maintenance-free as possible.
Currently available photographic processors have one or more of the following shortcomings: (1) the film processing time is relatively high; (2) some photographic processors, because of their size, require a large amount of space; (3) some photographic processors may require an unacceptable amount of developing solution due to the design of the processing tank; and (4) some photographic processor generate an unacceptable amount of developing solution waste due to the design of the processing tank.
What is needed in the art is a photographic processor, which provides exceptional print quality while requiring a minimal number of tasks necessary for an operator to process a roll of film. What is also needed in the art is a photographic processor, which is designed to efficiently process a roll of film while minimizing the amount of waste generated during the photographic process.
The present invention addresses some of the difficulties and problems discussed above by the discovery of a novel and compact photographic processor having an internal drum design, which minimizes the chemicals required to process a roll of film and consequently minimizes the amount of waste generated per roll of film processing. The photographic processor is extremely user-friendly and low maintenance.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a photographic processor and a method of processing film using the photographic processor. The present invention is further directed to photographic processor which can process various types of film.
The present invention relates to a photographic processor that comprises a processing drum having a first wall, a second wall and a side wall connecting the first wall to the second wall, with the side wall extending around a perimeter of the drum; a disk positioned inside the drum in a plane parallel to both the first wall and the second wall, wherein the disk comprises a first set of disk teeth capable of interengaging with first holes along an edge of a first type of film and a second set of disk teeth capable of interengaging with second holes along an edge of a second type of film; and a mechanism for rotating the disk.
The present invention further relates to a processing device that comprises a means for processing a first type of film along a first circular processing path and processing a second type of film along a second circular processing path, wherein the first and second circular processing paths are respectively positioned within adjacent parallel planes; and means for conveying the first and second types of film along the first and second circular processing paths.
The present invention further relates to a processing apparatus that comprises a circular processing drum having a first film path for processing a first type of film and a second film path for processing a second type of film, with the first and second film paths being respectively positioned in parallel planes; and a circular disk positioned inside the drum. The disk comprises a first set of disk teeth capable of interengaging with first holes on the first type of film to convey the first type of film along the first film path, and a second set of disk teeth capable interengaging with second holes on the second type of film to convey the second type of film along the second path.
The present invention further relates to a method of processing photographic film which comprises the steps of inserting the film into a first processing path or a second processing path of a circular processing drum based on a type of film to be processed, with the first processing path being adapted to receive a first type of film and the second processing path being adapted to receive a second type of film which is different than the first type of film; supplying and discharging processing solution into and from the processing drum to process the film; and transferring the processed film from the circular processing drum to a circular drying cylinder.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims.